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Author Topic: How do they do it with a 6 week lifespan?  (Read 2668 times)

Offline PLAN-B

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How do they do it with a 6 week lifespan?
« on: April 02, 2013, 05:00:28 pm »
Question: How do bees swarm and start a new colony in a six week life span? Have read that they (honey bees) dont actually become foragers till three weeks of age. It could very well take a week or two before they find a new home and build enough comb for the queen to start laying---plus if she is a virgin queen she also needs to be mated. Then on top of all that it takes three weeks to have her first laid eggs hatch into new worker bees.
Obviously they do it, but how.  What piece of the puzzle am i missing? sry for the rookie questions...lol  :oops:
Marshall

Offline rbinhood

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Re: How do they do it with a 6 week lifespan?
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2013, 05:30:27 pm »
Not trying to be funny but you have heard the expression "busy as a bee".....A bee colony is a living, breathing organism that function where each individual join forces with the other members as one, for no other reason than to perpetuate the species.  Each individual know the job they are to preform at each stage of life and they carry it out till the last dyeing breath.
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Offline Finski

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Re: How do they do it with a 6 week lifespan?
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2013, 05:55:46 pm »
What piece of the puzzle am i missing? :

Exercise more beekeeping and you will see.
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Colony's lifespan is not 6 weeks.

A swarm has 3 days' lunch with them.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2013, 06:10:09 pm by Finski »
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: How do they do it with a 6 week lifespan?
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2013, 09:02:55 am »
The life span of a worker bee varies a lot.  6 weeks is just an estimate based on a typical hive during a typical time of the year (if there is such a thing).  A forager burns out more quickly.  Those who stay home and nurse live longer.
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Offline danno

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Re: How do they do it with a 6 week lifespan?
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2013, 12:14:09 pm »
If it took a week or two to find a new hive location the swarm would be dead.   They only pack there bags with about 3 days supplies.  Swarms around here seldom stick around more then a day.   They find a location and immediately start build comb and they are quick at it.  The queen starts laying as soon as they finish cells.  The after swarms with virgins seldom if ever make it.   

Offline BMAC

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Re: How do they do it with a 6 week lifespan?
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2013, 12:21:12 pm »
They dont have to finish a cell for the queen to lay in it.  I have seen queens laying in partial built cells.  Thats extra motivation for the comb builders to hurry up with them cells partially built.
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Offline Finski

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Re: How do they do it with a 6 week lifespan?
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2013, 02:48:56 pm »
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Lets look a swarm in their new nest.

It takes about 4 weeks that masses of new bees start to emerge. Before that half f original swarm bees have died.

Laying start may last  couple of weeks.what ever.  but 6 weeks is not a measure.

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Offline PLAN-B

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Re: How do they do it with a 6 week lifespan?
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2013, 08:50:39 pm »
I appreciate all of the comments... I apologize to finski cause I used 6 weeks as a reference, which apparently is frowned upon... Lol... Just curious because I am nursing a "after swarm".... It was about the size of a softball--- caught them on march 09th. Found eggs on march 23rd. Haven't looked since not wanting to set them back in this crucial time...  This is my first hive and trying to give them a fighting chance...  ;)
Marshall

Offline bailey

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Re: How do they do it with a 6 week lifespan?
« Reply #8 on: April 03, 2013, 11:55:12 pm »
Got any brood to give them? A frame of capped brood would help a lot.
Either that or shake some nurse bees in. Or do a hive position switch and have the foragers go to the weak hive.
Which ever works best for you
And feed the crap out of them.
Bailey
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Offline Finski

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Re: How do they do it with a 6 week lifespan?
« Reply #9 on: April 04, 2013, 03:17:07 am »
I am nursing a "after swarm".... It was about the size of a softball--- caught them on march 09th. Found eggs on march 23rd. Haven't looked since not wanting to set them back in this crucial time...  This is my first hive and trying to give them a fighting chance...  ;)

it is better to look your softball.

When that size "hive" fill cells with eggs, it easily swarms. Perhaps you do not have a queen any more in your hive. Too small colony.

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Offline Finski

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Re: How do they do it with a 6 week lifespan?
« Reply #10 on: April 04, 2013, 03:59:27 am »
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When a beginner starts with a swarm, a swarmshould fill the whole box. It is 2 kg bees.

Smaller colonies make extra difficulties which are not needed to beginner.

2 kg swarm is guite big and you get it wth joining smaller swarm.

2 box swarms are even better = 4kg bees. That hive can handle brood and honey yield and build up does not need skills. It just happens.

It takes 4-5 weeks that a new swarm hive starts to expand.
Before new bees start to emerge, number of bees goes quite low and it needs much brood that size of swarm will be achieved.


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Offline PLAN-B

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Re: How do they do it with a 6 week lifespan?
« Reply #11 on: April 04, 2013, 09:59:58 am »
I have been feed them bailey... Oh and what appetites they have... Lol But don't have any other hives as of yet to give them extra brood --- etc... Plan on looking in this weekend and see what's going on... Hopefully all is well... Thanks for the comments... 
Marshall

Offline derekm

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Re: How do they do it with a 6 week lifespan?
« Reply #12 on: April 04, 2013, 04:08:13 pm »
A colony in a national with super  is split 3 ways in june , the splits then issues two swarms later in june. 5 colonies in total . Worst summer for many years, winter then the worst spring. How many of the 5 colonies have survived?
If they increased energy bill for your home by a factor of 4.5 would you consider that cruel? If so why are you doing that to your bees?